Fate is a bittersweet thing
by Isabelle Adamowitz
Summary: SEQUEL TO "BEAUTY" : UoKyo. Uo and Hana have persuaded the Sohmas to come with them and take Tohru on a trip to the mountains to go skiing. Accidents happen and someone's life is in danger. Last chapter up!
1. Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own Furuba or anything that has to do with it. * sobs*  
  
A/N : This is set a little while after " Beauty", ( I said I was going to wait for reviews to do a sequel, but I couldn't resist.) and it's also an Uo/Kyo fic. I know that I have a tendency to write extremely short chapters, so I'll try to make this one long. It probably won't have too many chapters. This is from Kyo's POV.  
  
"Fate is a bittersweet thing"  
  
Chapter one : the beginning  
  
Once they had all squashed into the mini bus with a blindfolded Tohru, they all zipped open  
  
their coats. They had not expected to be sitting so close together and it was getting warm. It  
  
was mid December and cold outside.  
  
Kyo sighed; he was sitting to the left of Tohru with a squirming Momiji on his lap. It was  
  
madness, he couldn't believe he had let Uotani and Hanajima convince him to go along with  
  
this.  
  
It had all started a month ago; they had had a geography project during which the students had  
  
had to form pair and pick a country in Europe or in Africa that they would have to research  
  
and give a presentation about. Hana and Tohru had chosen Switzerland because of Hana's  
  
love for chocolate and money. And because she had made such a fuss about being paired up  
  
with one of the Yuki-fan club members, Uo had been allowed to join them. As they perused  
  
Various brochures and pamphlets about the "Confederatio Helvetica" .  
  
Tohru had spent a long time looking at pictures of the jagged snow-covered mountains and  
  
the people sliding down them on skis or snowboards, she had voiced the wish to go skiing,  
  
but then realising that Uo and Hana had heard her, she had gone off on her usual tangent:  
  
" Oh, no! Don't worry girls, I won't leave for Switzerland. As much as I would like to ski and  
  
eat fondue; I'm the kind of person who can only dream of such wonderful and exciting  
  
adventures." After this statement Uo had simply rolled her eyes and the smiled and said,  
  
"I'm sure that one day you'll be able to do that."  
  
So, while Tohru had gone shopping Uo and Hana had gone to pay Shigure, Kyo and Yuki a visit :  
  
" Look, Tohru has been our friend for as long as we can remember, and we would like to  
  
thank her for that. So, we have decided to fulfil one of her dreams."  
  
As Uotani went on, Shigure had started to guess that they were here to ask for financial help.  
  
But when the girls had told them what thy were planning he had spluttered:  
  
" A weekend at a Ski resort!!??"  
  
" Yes. That's what I've just said, we're going to take Tohru to a ski resort in December, but  
  
since we know how much she is attached to you guys, we figured that she would only accept  
  
to stay there if you were there too. We're going to blindfold her so she can't see where we're  
  
going." Uo said. Hana continued:  
  
"We're not asking that you pay for anyone but yourself, we've already started saving money  
  
and I have gotten a part-time job to pay for Tohru's stay at the inn and the loan for the skis."  
  
" But, none of us knows how to ski." Yuki stated politely  
  
" Speak for yourself, rat" Kyo spat, he didn't think this was going to work.  
  
Everyone looked around at him.  
  
" What?" he said " I went skiing with Kazuma-san a few times." He shrugged " It's not hard"  
  
" Wow, you actually will be useful to us." Uo said in mock wonder.  
  
Kyo just glared at her. Since that day he had told her she was beautiful he had only half  
  
heartedly called her a Yankee, and hadn't gotten so upset when she had beaten him at a card  
  
game yet again.  
  
" So you just want us to come?" Shigure said  
  
" Yes, you and Hatsuharu-san and Momiji-kun and perhaps that doctor friend of yours."  
  
Hana said. It wasn't so much of a threat; it was merely a statement that left no room for argument. The Sohmas gulped. " Okay then, we'll give either Yuki or Kyo the information at school and we'd like you to  
  
inform the others. And we'll show up the day before to pack Tohru's stuff for her. She must  
  
only know about this when we come and blindfold her for the trip. Until the you had better  
  
keep you mouths shut." With that Uo smiled " Thank you so much for helping us to make our  
  
little Tohru happy."  
  
" It's a pleasure" Shigure said and was immediately clobbered by Yuki and Kyo.  
  
" Don't get any weird ideas baka inu" they said in unison, be fore looking at each other in disgust.  
  
So here they were, all nine of them, squashed into this minibus with Tohru trying to guess  
  
where they were going.  
  
" Are we going to a secondary residence of the Sohmas?" she said. To her this was quite  
  
exciting and she couldn't' wait to get there. Kyo looked at her flushed cheeks and her happy  
  
smile. Well, that face was worth having to be with all these people for two whole days.  
  
After three long hours of Uo's rowdy singing (the bus didn't have a radio) and of Momiji  
  
making comments about how he would get the top bunk if they were to sleep in a dorm, they  
  
finally arrived. Kyo gaped. The bus had stopped in front of a western building made out of  
  
dark wood, which was only three stories high.  
  
Uo took Tohru's blindfold off and she smiled at Kyo before looking out of the window.  
  
" A CHALET!!!!! It's just like in the pictures!!!!!! It's wonderful. Are we really going to stay  
  
here? Did you really do this for me ? I can't accept this." she said.  
  
" Calm down Tohru." ( Shigure sweatdropped) " Yes, we are staying here and yes you can  
  
accept this gift since we are all here with you."  
  
" But, I haven't got any of my things!" she looked worried.  
  
" Au contraire" Uo grinned broadly "Hana and I packed your stuff yesterday while you were  
  
out shopping" " And we even brought Kyoko-san" Hana added holding up the framed photograph.  
  
Tohru started to cry tears of joy.  
  
" I had never expected any of this, thank you so much, all of you!"  
  
End of chapter one.  
  
Well, it's not much longer than the rest of my chapters, but whatever. It seems that the characters are somewhat OOC. PLEASE R&R to tell me what you think. I neeeeeeeed feedback. 


	2. Fondue!

Disclaimer: I don't own Furuba or anything related to it.  
  
A/N: Hello! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I'm truly grateful. * pauses* I don't really have anything else to say, so, ON WITH THE STORY!  
  
P.S. If you haven't read " Beautiful" yet, I suggest you do since I keep referring to it.  
  
" Fate is a bittersweet thing"  
  
Chapter 2: "Fondue!"  
  
They had all managed to haul their bags up the stairs, the guys taking the third floor rooms since it meant a longer haul. As they had entered the chalet, they had been welcomed by the manager who rented the chalet out. She was a middle aged Swiss woman with a heavily accented way of speaking Japanese. As they moved around the house they had been pleased to find a nice cosy denn and a fire lit in the hearth. The windows had cheesy red and white gingham curtains, but Kyo supposed that they did fit in with the style. He had been forced to share a room with Haru, and Shigure (there were two three person rooms, a two person room with a double bed and a single room) and he didn't like the prospect of sleeping in the same space as that perverted inu. He would much rather be in that single room (true, it wasn't much bigger than a broom closet, but still.) but he decided that Hatori deserved to be in there since he would need rest from driving them there. At least he didn't have to share a bed with either Yuki or Momiji (they had the double bed).  
  
As he went back downstairs after having unpacked his suitcase, he curled up by the fire. It's warmth and tender glow were making him sleepy. He was just about to dose off, when he felt a shiver go down his spine and heard:  
  
" A cat." He turned chalk white ".is what you look like" Hana finished off.  
  
" Argh, don't creep up on me like that!" He bristled  
  
" Aww, you scared the little carrot head, you should be ashamed Saki.tsk tsk" he heard Uo say in mock reprimand.  
  
" Go away damn Yankee, I was about to have a nap." The words were the same as always, but they lacked their usual animosity. Uo picked up on this and decided to tease a little bit:  
  
" Saving up all your energy for your skiing demonstration tomorrow? I bet you'll look like a chicken on ice." She smirked.  
  
" I bet you'll fall flat on your face. Besides, didn't you listen to the conversation in the car? I'm not the only one who can ski: Momiji's been to Germany on ski trips before and Hatori used to ski here quite regularly. I won't be the one demonstrating." He managed to say this in such a calm way that it left Uo speechless.  
  
" Well, good. Um, I'll go check on Torhu." She said just to fill the silence and went off to the room that she Hana and Tohru shared.  
  
" I feel interesting vibrations coming from both of you. They're quite nice, you two should spend more time together" Hana said from the corner in which she sat reading her book.  
  
Kyo jumped. He had completely forgotten she was there. He looked over at her and then sighed. Something around them had definitely changed. He was sure that there was no denying it since even Hana could feel it through her denpa. He had of course been thinking since THAT day, wondering if he had said it just because he thought that anyone (well, almost anyone) was better looking than his cousin, or because he had really meant it. In the days following their exchanged compliments, he had observed Uotani, and had decided that whatever had been going through his head then, he really did think that she was beautiful. Not pretty like Tohru, but beautiful in her own coarse way. It seemed a shame that so few people paused to notice that. Their gaze just sopped at her clothes, which tended to remind everyone of her past as a gang member, not letting them realize what a lovely woman she would have been had she not chosen that path.  
  
He had stopped himself there. It was by now normal for him to think of Tohru in this way, savouring every detail of her being, but starting to analyse Uotani's physical assets was going too far. But, it WAS nice to daydream.  
  
They all gathered around the dinner table at eight p.m. . A strong and quite frankly awful smell filled the dining room: that of cheese fondue. Kyo was hoping that he would be able to just eat the bread without dunking it in that yellowish mass of melted cheese, but Shigure had said: " This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you have to try at least one piece of this specialty. Besides, it's really famous in Switzerland, lots of people eat it."  
  
' Those people must be barbarians if they can get anything so fowl smelling into their mouths' Kyo thought to himself, but when he saw Tohru's encouraging smile, he forced a piece of cheese-covered French bread into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and realized that it hadn't tasted that bad, moreover that he even liked the flavour.  
  
" Some white wine to wash that down!" Shigure (who had had a little too much wine himself) gleefully said shoving a glass into Kyo's hand.  
  
Kyo was dubious about the whole wine thing, but looking over at Tohru who was sitting next to Haru laughing discretely, at Yuki having a calm discussion with Hana and at Uo who was flirting with a blushing (!) Hatori (he had obviously had too much wine as well) and Momiji lying asleep propped up against a dozing Shigure, he decided that he might as well make the most of it and have some fun for Tohru's sake and drank the yellowish liquid all in one gulp. He liked this even more than the fondue and so decided to have another glass, and then another one.  
  
'These Swiss people sure know how to live' was his last conscious thought before he fell asleep from too much alcohol and tiredness.  
  
End of chapter 2 .  
  
I that this was a good stopping point eventhough it makes this chapter awfully short. I myself love white wine and chees fondue and encourage anyone to try it. Please R&R - Mouton 


	3. Melting snow

Disclaimer: I don't own Furuba or anything that has to do with it. * sobs*  
  
A/N So far, so good. I don't know exactly where I'm heading since I've modified the original plot a few thousand times. Please tell me if the story is moving too fast or too slow. Thx.  
  
P.S. Thank you to Mia, Aiden Sadi, Pebbled Sky and Lunar Mirror who reviewed and special thanks to Pebbles for recommending me to Lunar Mirror. Luv ya!  
  
" Fate is a bittersweet thing"  
  
Chapter three: melting snow  
  
Kyo woke up and was surprised to find that he was in his bed and that Haru and Shigure were in theirs as well. He could still remember falling asleep at the dinner table, but he supposed someone had carried him up in the night, or that he had gotten up by himself, crawled up here and simply forgotten about it.  
  
He looked at his alarm clock and noted that it was already (!) 6:30 a.m. . He had slept in! He wondered if there would even be any breakfast left over. He went down, but found that he was the first one up and that there was no breakfast, just a set table and a note saying that breakfast would be brought to the chalet at 9 a.m. " Just great!" he said out loud to himself " I have to wait for those lazy westerners to bring me food that I don't even know I'll like."  
  
" Talking to yourself now? You are strange, even Hana doesn't do that" Uo said from a chair by the fire. Kyo jumped. He hadn't even noticed her.  
  
" Good morning to you too." He said. And then the beginnings of a grin touched his lips and he said.  
  
" I see you get on well with Hatori. Was I dreaming or did you compliment him on his wonderful fingers, short clean nails and well kept cuticles last night?" He chuckled.  
  
" YOU HEARD THAT!?!" She shrieked. " I thought that by then everyone was too drunk or in conversation to notice. Besides I was kinda drunk too, so it doesn't count. If you tell anyone ILL BEAT YOU TO PULP!!!"  
  
" Keep it down." He half-grinned again " I won't tell anyone, besides they'll probably remember it themselves." He looked at the table. Why couldn't Tohru be the one to prepare his food? Not only would it be on time, and he would know that it would be delicious as usual.  
  
'But then again' he thought ' It must be nice for her not to have to do the household chores.'  
  
" Penny for your thoughts" Uo said. This surprised Kyo, since when did his thoughts interest anyone other than Tohru and perhaps Shigure?  
  
"I was just wondering if Tohru liked not having to take care of us and cook. It seems like a nice beak to me." He said not looking at Uo .  
  
"Hmm, I guess she probably does enjoy it, but she would never say it because she would be afraid of making you think that she doesn't like taking care of you guys." Uo looked over  
  
" I wouldn't ever have chosen you and your family if I had to pick a new family, but it seems that she did and that you all care about her and would do anything to protect her and I must admit that I respect you for that. Last night Hatori talked about how she always paid attention to everyone and made sure that no one felt left out. He said that it made things look brighter and gave him new hope. Okay, I don't know what that ' hope' part was about, but I can tell that she is helping you like she helped Hana and myself and it seems that you are aware of that and that you appreciate her for who she is. That's good."  
  
Kyo looked at her. While she was talking it seemed that her face had darkened a little and where her eyes had contained affection for her good friend at the beginning of her little speech, they now were filled with sorrow and even though she was smiling at the fire, he had the impression that there was something bitter in that smile.  
  
" You know, we're not trying to steal Tohru from you." He was surprised that it had come out so easily.  
  
She looked up at him from her chair and he saw straight into her eyes and found beauty there that he had never expected to see in this girl. She had tears in her eyes, but she was holding them back and she managed a wide, but very fake grin  
  
"Sometimes, you have the gift of saying exactly what I want to hear, carrot top." she got up and said " I'm going out for a breath of fresh air. I'll be back by eight in case anyone asks." With that she pulled on a coat and went out.  
  
Kyo blinked and sat down in the chair that she had just left and watched the flames. He could only think of that glimpse of Uotani's beauty. It wasn't something that was always there, it was like a shadow in the depths of her eyes, but he knew that he would never forget it. It was haunting and he couldn't quite tell for himself what it was. Was it because she had had tears in her eyes or because there was an even stronger emotion behind them, one that she was holding back even more than her sadness.  
  
Outside, Arisa was walking around on a path in the woods. ' I got too carried away! I'm too soft, and in front of that idiot as well.' She sighed ' Idiot is a bit harsh. Besides, he's been making an effort to be polite and he does seem to understand how I feel about his situation Tohru's in.' She continued walking down the path, oblivious to her surroundings. ' But, it's not fair, why do the Sohmas get Tohru all to themselves. I know it's selfish of me to think this, but I just.' she stopped thinking and the tears she had forced back earlier ran down her cheek freely now. She wasn't a big crier, but it was just too much. She sat down on a tree stump and just let go.  
  
Meanwhile, at the chalet, Tohru got up and went down to join Kyo in the denn.  
  
" Good morning Kyo-kun. How are you today? Last night you fell asleep at the table, so Hatsuharu-san and Shigure-san had to carry you up to your room. Are you rested?" She had such a nice smile and Kyo was yet again amazed at how pretty Tohru was, but he still couldn't help thinking abut Uo, wondering what she would look like if she smiled like that.  
  
" I'm fine, but I think Uotani's not" he blurted out before he could help himself.  
  
" Really, is she ill? Where is she? Did something happen?" Tohru questioned him in rapid fire  
  
" No, as far as I could tell she's not ill, she went out for a walk. Probably, in those woods behind the chalet. I think you should go after her." He couldn't believe what he was saying.  
  
" Oh Kyo-kun, I hope she's alright. I'll go out right now. Tell the others that we'll be back soon. If only Hana was up."  
  
" Yes, Tohru, what is it?" Hana said and both Tohru and Kyo jumped. "Shall I get my coat on?"  
  
And the two girls went out to look for their friend. In the denn Kyo was still puzzled. Why did he care about what happened to Uotani, after all she was just a good-for-nothing Yankee, and just because he had noticed something about her others hadn't didn't mean he liked her as a person. Or did he?  
  
" This is too much, I'm going to the roof." he said to the fire and went up to what would be his sanctuary for the next two days.  
  
Uo had finished crying, not because she felt better, but because she didn't have the strength to cry more. She now decided that even if she was a little fonder of the Sohmas (especially of one red head in particular) she would pretend that nothing had happened, that she had never been here and that she hadn't talked to Kyo. As she made her way back to the chalet, she was joined by Tohru and Hana who without any explanation came up and hugged her and Tohru said  
  
" I'm glad we found you Uo." " Whatever happened, we're here now" Hana added  
  
Uo closed her eyes, and thought ' I'm blessed with the best two friends I could possibly imagine' and the three of them headed back to the house.  
  
From the roof, Kyo saw the three approaching figures and half-smiled to himself. And then, when they came closer was surprised to see tears on Uotani's face. ' She is a real girl after all.' He thought before swinging himself down onto the balcony of his room where Haru and Shigure were getting dressed.  
  
" Ooooh, you should be ashamed of coming in while we are changing!" Shigure said in a would-be feminine voice.  
  
" Urusai baka inu" Kyo said, but there was no venom in it.  
  
Haru and Shigure looked at each other with raised eyebrows as Kyo left the room. End of chapter three  
  
Sorry, this was extremely angsty. I just couldn't resist. Please tell me what you think. And don't worry, in the next chapter I'll try to make charas a little less OOC. -Mouton 


	4. Let's hit the slopes!

Disclaimer: How many times will I have to say it? I don't own Fruits Basket!  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Thank you for the compliments on my writing Luna, although I must admit that I don't know what you mean by " zoloft". (I've never heard of it). And I also want to thank Aiden Sadi for the compliments and her (?) loooong review. I encourage anyone who reads this to check out her story (I enjoyed it a lot!)  
  
In this chapter, the characters actually ski!!! (Just in case you haven't noticed, this is supposed to be a ski resort chalet type thing.)  
  
" Fate is a bittersweet thing"  
  
Chapter four: "Let's hit the slopes!"  
  
It was 10 a.m. and the boys (and men) were all standing in front of the chalet in their snow proof clothing (pants, parkas, hats, gloves and all) waiting for the girls who seemed to be taking their time in changing. Finally Tohru stepped out of the front door dressed in a pink two-piece snowsuit followed by Hana who was wearing a black one. They both went over to the others and started commenting on how the weather was perfect and the snow seemed to glitter in the bright sunlight.  
  
Their attention was directed at door however when they heard loud cursing:  
  
" Damn clothes! What a stupid idea, how am I possibly supposed to get this thing on!" Everyone turned to Kyo and Shigure said: " Geez, if you weren't out here I could've sworn that was you cussing like a maniac!" " Kuso" Kyo muttered under his breath.  
  
The person proffering those words was of course none other than Uotani herself, and everyone knew how little Kyo liked to be compared, or even associated to her. She came out the door and one was surprised to see that she was struggling with her overalls. Kyo looked at her, she was wearing a thick red wool jumper and black leggings and she has trying desperately to pull on a navy blue garment.  
  
"Here, I'll help you" Tohru said going over to her friend. "See, it's easier to fasten the suspenders (is that what they're called?) if you close the zipper up first"  
  
The men all sweatdropped: how could one possibly fail to put on a pair of overalls. Once Uo was safely strapped into the garment, they headed over to the wrack that held their borrowed skis.  
  
A half an hour later they were at the top of a gentle "Bunny slope" and Hatori demonstrated the basics of skiing with the help of Momiji. Then he separated them into groups, each group containing at least one person who knew how to ski. Kyo had ended up with Hana and Haru.  
  
'Just great' he thought ' Why couldn't I be with Tohru. At least she's not with Yuki.'  
  
Tohru was in fact with Shigure and Hatori and he figured that she would be safe enough as long as she stayed with the doctor. ' And Uotani will be able to admire the Prince as much as she wants' (Uo, Yuki and Momiji formed the last group). Then he realised that there had been something bitter about that thought.  
  
'Why?' He blamed it on hormones and reasoned that, well, he already liked Tohru anyway.  
  
As he lead the way down the slope, closely followed by Hana and Haru (Hana was surprisingly good at this he thought) having to pause as Haru occasionally fell down, his thoughts kept wandering.  
  
He was awakened from his reverie when he noticed that they had already made it to he bottom. He then noticed that Haru was smiling. 'That's odd' he thought and then to his much greater surprise saw Hana smiling as well! He went over to them both and asked them if they had had any trouble with the descent, but found that the two of them were too deep in conversation to notice him.  
  
' Disgusting' he thought as he noticed the way Haru was looking at Saki (it was the look he normally only gave Yuki) and the way she almost blushed at one of his compliments. He decided to go off and look at the other groups making progress down the hill (They were the first group to have reached the bottom of the slope)  
  
He saw Shigure sliding down, stiff as a board on his skis, followed by Hatori who was skiing slowly while shouting instructions to Tohru who kept falling over. 'Typical' he thought, but he couldn't help smiling, eventhough she was really quite clumsy, Tohru had a cute way of falling down. (A/N: see how smitten he is. good luck Uo.)  
  
He then spotted Momiji who looked like he had been born on skis and Yuki who looked unsure of the safety of this sport. And finally he glimpsed Uo. She was sliding down the hill full speed, quite gracefully and it might have been admirable hadn't she been coming down the easyest slope there was at this resort.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
At sundown, when everyone had had their fill of exercise, they all headed back down to the chalet. All of them were wet, tired and bruised from the falls except for Hana who didn't have a strand of hair out of place.  
  
At dinner Tohru thanked them again for this wonderful present. They ate and talked and Tohru complimented Hatori on how well he skiied that it made the doctor blush slightly. Hana and Haru were sitting next to each other, sharing conversation and Tohru ( who sitting next to Kyo) made a comment on how cute they looked together . Kyo snorted and continued eating, he thought that they were both weird, so in that respect, yes, they did go together.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
After dinner they went outside again and Shigure decided that he would "accompany" Hatori for a walk. Hana and Haru said they would do the same and went off by themselves. The five people who were left stared at each other until Uo interrupted:  
  
" How 'bout a snowball fight?"  
  
" Oh yes! That's a great idea! What do you think Kyo-kun?" Tohru exclaimed  
  
" Whatever" Kyo said.  
  
" Be polite to Tohru, stupid c., uh, cousin!" Yuki said.  
  
" I'm not taking orders from you, you stupid . Argh!"was all Kyo had time to reply before a giant snowball thrown his way by Momiji hit him in the face.  
  
" You'll pay for that!" he yelled.  
  
And so the fighting began. Everyone tried to hurl as much snow at each other as they possibly could without hurting Tohru. A few times Uo hit Kyo on the back of the head, but when he came up to seek revenge, she simply dropped the snow in her hands and stood there, daring him to attack an unarmed girl. The first two times, it worked, but the third, some of the snow ran into Kyo's collar, causing him to go into a fit and literally bury Uotani under a huge amount of snow.  
  
Once he had finished covering her, he realized that in their fight (for she had resisted him) they had moved further and further away from the chalet.  
  
" Okay, you win this round carrot head, now will you please help me get some of this snow off myself, it's starting to melt." Uo said.  
  
Kyo looked at her warily. Was this a trick? Did she plan on getting him close enough to dunk him in the snow? But he actually wanted to help her; he wanted to run his fingers through her hair, to feel the warmth of her skin under his fingers. ' STOP!' he ordered his mind. He didn't know how he had let his train of thought stray that far, but what he was thinking was simply ridiculous, or was it?  
  
" Are you frozen or something? Come and help me, or answer at least!" Uotani looked annoyed, 'what planet was he on?' she asked herself.  
  
" Um, oh, yeah." he moved closer.  
  
" Here, hold my hair up while I try to get some ice out of my collar" she said in a slightly bossy way.  
  
He gathered he hair into a ponytail and held it up, his cheeks reddening. Her hair was damp and cold, stands of it stuck together by melted snow and sweat. The normally straw like colour gleamed slightly sliver in the moonlight. When she had fished out quite a few pieces of ice and even a little stone, she glared at him as if to say, " This is your fault, look!" Their eyes lingered on the each other for a moment and Kyo noticed again how much he liked Uo's eyes, now deep blue, with an added glint due to the moonlight. The gaze broke apart. Kyo mumbled something about how they should head back to the chalet. Uo nodded. She still had the image of Kyo's eyes in her head, how they had had an almost startled look in them and how they had grown softer after a while. Even though she and Kyo were basically the same height, she still had o look up slightly to see his crimson eyes and they had been shadowed somewhat because the moon had been shining slightly behind him. She shook her head. Why was she thinking about Kyo of all people like this? And yet it felt right. Had she suddenly seen him in a new light? (No pun intended)  
  
They got back and were eyed curiously by Yuki. Kyo scowled at him. Just what was that damn rat thinking?  
  
" I hope you didn't mind that we all came in. It's just you two were having so much fun that we thought it best to not disturb you" Tohru said. She looked quite pleased.  
  
" Yeah, well, I've had enough fun for one night, I'm going to bed. See you all in the morning." Uo said and went upstairs.  
  
" Oh Kyo, I'm so glad you're getting along with Uo! And have you seen how well Hana and Haru-kun get along? They're not even back from their walk, I bet they've got a lot to talk about!" Tohru exclaimed.  
  
She was smiling her sweet smile and suddenly Kyo felt warm. Tohru's happiness made him happy, and that was worth having to put up with Yuki, Momiji and Shigure for longer that he normally would have.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Up in her room Uo was in bed. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Kyo in the moonlight. ' This is stupid' she told herself. Not in a million years would she admit to herself, or to anyone for that matter that she might possibly be interested in Kyo. ' It's just the light! I got carried away, and also because I got all emotional this morning.' She tried to convince herself, but somehow she knew it was pointless.  
  
" Well, I'll just continue acting like I always do, and besides, tomorrow's a new day." She told the dark room. Ten minutes later, she was asleep.  
  
End of chapter Four.  
  
Sorry if the skiing part is boring, I got carried away. As usual, I would love suggestions on how to improve things and feedback, etc.  
  
Mouton 


	5. Yuki to Chi

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, Fruits Basket or anything related to it.  
  
A/N: Hey! You've got me updating almost daily! I must admit that I am kinda in a hurry to find out what happens myself. Thanx to everyone who's been sticking with me all this time, especially to Pebbles for the kind review. So, here is the turning point in this story.  
  
"Fate is a bittersweet thing"  
  
Chapter Five: Yuki to Chi (=Snow and blood)  
  
It was 8 a.m. when Kyo woke up. That was unnaturally late for him and he panicked when he saw that Haru and Shigure were already downstairs. ' Well, that cow wouldn't want to waste a second that he could have spent with denpa girl.' He thought to himself.  
  
A little while after Uo had gone to bed last night, Hana and Haru had come back and both gone straight to their rooms, Hana looking slightly flushed and Haru with a self-satisfied expression. Tohru had winked at Hana and then asked if Kyo didn't mind if she went to bed. Kyo guessed that she wanted to talk girl talk and find out all about Hana and Haru's walk. He let her go. He then decided to read, but found he couldn't concentrate. Close to midnight Hatori and Shigure came back. They had been discussing some important matter (A/N: they really did, I didn't mean to make it look like they were a couple, so I'm sorry if anyone got their hopes up.) Shigure joked that they had been pondering whether or not to call Ayame and invite him and was punched in the face by Kyo who decided he would rather go to bed than listen to his fool of a cousin.  
  
So here he was, stumbling down the stairs, afraid he'd missed breakfast, when he remembered that it would be brought at nine. As he entered the denn, Tohru welcomed him and he answered back. He looked around: they seemed to be alone. He asked her if she was enjoying the vacation and she said it was like a dream come true, that she was overjoyed to have everyone she cared for here with her and that she was glad that he hadn't fought with Yuki or Uo once. He looked away and told her that it was probably thanks to her if he was in such a good mood. She smiled and said:  
  
" Kyo-kun, you're a wonderful person and no matter what some people say, I'll always want to be your friend." Kyo blushed.  
  
" Yeah, well, you're one in a million." As he said this he curiously found himself wishing that he were saying this to someone else. (A/N: guess, just guess ( )  
  
" Kyo, I've caught you being sentimental again!" (remember in the anime, just before the trip to the hot springs?)  
  
" Shut up you little creep! Didn't your mom tell you that it's bad to listen to other people's conversations?"  
  
But Momiji wasn't the only one who had heard the conversation. Uo had been standing coming down the stairs and had stopped when she heard him speak. ' There, I knew it was ridiculous.' She thought ' There's no way I had a chance with him. He love Tohru in a big way.' She couldn't help being a bit regretful 'it would have been nice.' She thought. With that, she went down and greeted them all, looking at a smiling Kyo.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * They were are in their gear, ready for the second day of skiing. They new groups had been formed, and each group had been given a cell phone, just in case, since they were going to ski on separate slopes.  
  
Kyo wondered if it had been a coincidence or not, but Shigure had put him together with Uo and Haru. When they got to their slope, Haru said that he was going to head to a different one where he would meet Saki. Uo and Kyo just looked at each other, pulling a disgusted face as he moved away.  
  
" They scare me when they are together. Tell me, how well do you know your cousin? Can you tell if he's smitten, because Saki sure is. She started talking about him the moment she got up." Uo said  
  
" Haru's got it bad all right" Kyo said. He was uncomfortable being alone with her.  
  
" Well, looks like it's just you and me then." Uo grinned " I bet you don't have the guts to race me." She added with a cheeky grin.  
  
" I could beat you at a race any time, Yankee" Kyo said, his temper flaring.  
  
" Ok then, first one down gets to rub the loser's face in the snow"  
  
" You're on sister!"  
  
They counted to three, Uo starting at two, followed by a curious Kyo. As they glided down, they were only aware of how far ahead the other one was. Neither of them saw the rocks.  
  
It all happened very quickly, too quickly for them to react. Kyo slid on an icy patch and shot into Uo who fell, hitting her head on a boulder on the side of the slope. Kyo shook his head and looked up. He saw Uo slumped in a heap and slid over to her. When he got close, he saw the blood. It was pouring from her leg that had been pierced by one of her poles and from a wound on her head. He panicked. What should he do? He called her name, but she was unconscious. He remembered the phone in her pocket and retrieved it. She was still warm, and he could feel her pulse as he checked it. She was alive!  
  
He quickly dialled the rescue number and told them their approximate location. While he waited for the snowmobile, he looked at her; she was lying there, slowly bleeding into the snow. There was blood around her head, like some perverted parody of a halo. He bent over and picked her up, careful not to hold her too close and carried her over a tree stump against which he leaned her up.  
  
Despite the blood, she looked beautiful he thought. He wondered if she would survive. It was partly his fault if this had happened to her. He could just imagine it: he would be blamed by Yuki, and he didn't even wan to try and imagine the sorrow that would fill Tohru's eyes.  
  
He thought of Uotani's eyes, so beautiful at times and wondered if he would ever see them open again.  
  
The sound of the approaching vehicle tore him away from his dreams. He silently helped the man driving it heave Uo onto the stretcher and got on behind him. He felt so numb. At one point he later recalled not thinking, juts being vaguely aware of the noise the motor was making.  
  
When they got to the resort, they found an ambulance already waiting for them. Uo was transferred into it and Kyo followed. He couldn't leave her; he had to make sure she was all right. In the back of the ambulance, the woman tending to the blonde haired victim asked him who she was, and he answered. After a moment she said:  
  
"You seem quite shocked, are you her boyfriend?" At this he blushed.  
  
"No, a friend's friend." He said. " Do you know what's wrong?" he added after a while.  
  
" She hit her head and is now in a coma. At the moment her rates are stable, but who knows if that'll stay that way, I hope she doesn't try to leave us." He sighed.  
  
" And her leg?"  
  
" That'll be fine, the wound is deep, but thanks to the cold she hasn't lost too much blood."  
  
He fell silent. A coma? That was bad. He took his face in his hands and closed his eyes. ' This can't be happening' he thought 'we were racing one moment and in the next, she'd in a coma. This is just a bad dream, just a bad dream'.  
  
Bleeping interrupted his thoughts and the nurse said that she was getting worse.  
  
" I need your help" she said.  
  
" How can I help? I haven't had training or anything." Kyo answered and was horrified at how scared he sounded.  
  
" Talk to her. Tell her she has to stay here with us, that she shouldn't give up."  
  
This was one of the simplest things, but Kyo found it incredibly hard to get the words out.  
  
" Um, Yankee, hey Yankee, don't, uh, leave us." He tried. Uo didn't stir.  
  
" Uotani, don't leave! For Tohru's sake! You organized all of this to make her happy, don't die!" He said, louder this time.  
  
" Good, that's it! Go on, you're doing great!" the nurse said while injecting something into Uo's arm.  
  
" Uotani" he grasped her hand and squeezed it, relieved to find it still warm " Tohru would miss you, Hana would miss you, heck I would miss you, stay!" he said. And then softer " I would miss you. Now I regret not telling you, how beautiful I really do think you are, and that, even though you won't hear this, I really did want to kiss you last night."  
  
He was surprised when this came out.  
  
" Are you sure you're not her boyfriend?" the nurse said with a wink. " It's okay now, you can stop, her rates are stable again."  
  
Kyo glared at the nurse, and then looked back at Arisa. He had just realised that she did mean more to him than he had wanted to admit.  
  
End of chapter five  
  
Sorry, cliffie ( sorta ) . This was mushy and Kyo was OOC, but it's kinda hard to stay in character when someone you've just realized you love has just had a major accident. I'd appreciate feedback, as usual. Cheers - Mouton 


	6. White

Disclaimer : I don't own Fruits Basket or any characters. End of story.  
  
A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry if I've kept you all waiting! As usual, thank you for the reviews; I'm extremely flattered by them. I hope you enjoy this chapter.  
  
" Fate is a bittersweet thing"  
  
Chapter Six: White  
  
When they finally got to the nearest hospital, Kyo got was asked to stay in a waiting room and fill out forms.  
  
He had had a fight with the nurse at the desk because she hadn't let him accompany Uotani into surgery. He had called her an unreasonable cow and she ad asked him if he was a doctor. When he answered that no, he fucking wasn't a doctor, she had made the comment that in this case, he was the one who was being unreasonable. She then told him to get a hot drink and fill out the thick stack of paper she then handed him.  
  
He sat in the room, staring at the wall. He was still in shock, but the numbness was wearing off. 'It was my fault' he told himself. He should have been more careful, and avoided that icy patch. He looked down at the blank forms in hid hands, and decided that if he wanted to help her, the only thing he could do for now was fill out these forms. He started.  
  
' Name : Uotani Arisa , Gender : Female' he paused as his eyes fell on the space marked " address".  
  
He didn't know where she lived. The next one, "Phone Number" wasn't something he could answer either. It was the same for all of the other blank spaces. He pulled at his hair. He didn't know a thing about her. The one who would be able to fill this document with the required information was  
  
" Tohru!" he said out loud. She had no idea; she was probably still blissfully skiing/falling down the slopes at the resort. She would be devastated if she found out, but she would find out this evening when everyone would notice that Uo and himself were missing. ' What should I do?' he didn't know which was better, but the new wave of cold that this realisation sent down his back, paralysing him decided it for him. He just couldn't bring himself to reach for the phone in his pocket.  
  
Two hours later he sat in Uo's room. It was, a clean, hygienic white, like everything else here. Once the doctors transferred Uo to her bed and told Kyo that her leg would heal soon enough, he settled himself in a chair next to her. The doctor was just about to leave, when he asked  
  
" Is she going to, uh, die?"  
  
The last word was uttered so quietly that the doctor almost missed it.  
  
" Well, that depends on how much she wants to wake up again." He said with a wry smile, and then added " But she looks like a strong one, I'm sure she'll come back to you."  
  
Kyo nodded. He couldn't let her die. He was going to stay with her as long as he could. He couldn't bare the idea of not seeing her eyes open again. Even more so for Tohru's sake. There was an awkward and lonely silence. He looked around, then coloured a little. He lightly took one of her hands. It was warm, as always. He felt it, tested its rough texture. Edging closer he looked at her. She was at rest. Her face closed, like in deep sleep. He felt drawn to her. Almost against his will, he gently put one arm behind her back and lifted her slightly, while moving closer. He longed to reduce those centimeters that separated his chest from hers into nothing. Then, deciding that it didn't matter if he transformed here, since no one would notice, he held her close. He enjoyed her warmth, waiting for hid transformation. Only nothing happened. This brought up a memory.  
  
He had just come in the room, and found his mother there, she was slumped on the table, her blood was slowly soaking into the carpet. He rushed towards her and nudged her. She didn't respond. His reaction had been to hold her. That was the first time he hadn't transformed upon contact with his mother.  
  
His eyes widened. His mother had been dead! Was Uo dead?!? He pressed his fingers to her neck. He was relieved to find a pulse there, faint but steady. He let out a breath that he now realized he had been holding back. He held her close again, burying his face in her hair, nuzzling her neck. It still smelled faintly of blood. He stayed like that, and a tear slipped down his face. Just one, but it held all the anger and sorrow he had bottled up for years. He had pushed it away then, and it caught up with him now. He rocked their bodies back and forth slightly, ignoring how Uo's arms trailed along lifelessly. Eventually, he fell asleep.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *** * * * *  
  
He woke up after an hour or so. He sat back up in his chair. He decided that he would contact Tohru. She must be worried by now (It had been five hours since they left). He dialled Hatori's cell number and waited. The phone was answered by Tohru herself.  
  
" Kami-sama, is it you Uo? I was so scared, we were worried that something might have happened." Tohru said in a voice that suggested she had been waiting for news for a long time.  
  
" Tohru, it's me," but he didn't have time to say more before he was interrupted  
  
" Ah Kyo! Is everything all right? Why can't Uo answer the phone?"  
  
" She's had an accident, I'm at the hospital with her. She's had surgery on her wounds. She's stable though."  
  
" Oh my god! I'm coming right now! Wait for me there!!!" Tohru said before hanging up.  
  
Kyo sighed. She knew and had probably worried herself sick. At least she would be able to take care of the legal business (he had handed the forms in blank.) He looked at Uo again. How would Tohru react when she found out that Uo was in a coma? He fell into his chair. This was a living nightmare. But there was one thing that, in spite of himself had been wonderful: hugging a girl without turning into a cat. And with that he pulled her close again.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Two weeks had passed and Uo still hadn't woken up. Tohru had fainted when Kyo had told her that she was in her present state. Since the hospital wasn't in their hometown, they had had to transfer Uo to the closest one to her hometown after a week. She hadn't shown any weakness, but she hadn't improved as time went by. Thoru and Hana came after school regularly to sit with Uo and Tohru had found an extra photo of her mother to watch over Uo. It now stood in a red frame at her bedside. Kyo visited Uo even more often than Tohru and Hana. Everyone put it down to guilt and felt sorry for him, saying that thus was proof that he had a good heart. They didn't know that gradually, his feelings were changing.  
  
Every time he came and sat by her, he talked to her, just saying things like, what Tohru had cooked for him and his cousins that day, or how it was starting to get colder and that it had snowed in the city. Before he left, he always held her. It was his little consolation. Once he had even kissed her on the cheek, blushing madly and turning away in haste.  
  
Today, he had had a huge fight with Yuki. It had been a rainy day and Yuki had said exactly what he hadn't wanted to hear. So, he just sat there, holding Uo's hand as always. It was late, but he decided he would stay as long as he could. He bent down to her, tracing her face which he had come to know very well and mustered his courage. He tentatively moved forward and touched her lips with his. The kiss lasted only a second, but to him it was bliss. At the same time, he ached inside, knowing that he would never be able to kiss her if she was awake.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
He didn't come until he received a call from the hospital saying that someone had to come right away because Miss Uotani was getting worse. He went out in a flash of red hair and wide red eyes. On the train, his mind was racing, what if she died, true, it had been a risk all along, but she hadn't been in danger, what if he didn't get there on time? He willed the train to go faster, and ran the short stretch between the station and the hospital.  
  
End of chapter six.  
  
Ha ha! Cliffie! I'm evil! Too sappy, I know, but it's the easiest way to depict depression. I would love feedback. I'll update as soon as I can. -Mouton 


	7. gli occhi blu si aprano

Disclaimer: Furuba and everything related to it is copyrighted to Takaya Natsuki - san.  
  
A/N: I haven't' had the chance to check for reviews yet, but I would like to thank anyone who submits one in advance. I'm sorry for the cliffie, but I was getting kinda tired and didn't have any good ideas. By the way, this is the last chapter.  
  
"Fate is a bittersweet thing"  
  
Chapter Seven : "Gli occhi blu si aprano" (ital. = the blue eyes open up)  
  
In the room, the doctor was messing with a machine that was connected to Uo. The nurse noticed Kyo and beckoned him forward.  
  
" She's fading, this is the only hope we have left. Talk to her!"  
  
He knew that it was a huge responsibility and that the chance of her not dying was slim, but he would try.  
  
He stood next to her, and then noticing the portrait next to her picked it up and put it on the pillow next to her. ' I could use a little help' he thought.  
  
The first words he uttered came hesitantly, but they gradually flowed out of him, as if someone was pouring them out like one would pour water from of a pitcher. He described the outside world, it's colours, he talked about Tohru and Hana who was now going out with Haru (he couldn't help smirking as he imagined what her reaction would be if she ever heard this news). The bleeping continued, getting slightly steadier. He continued talking, telling her about things that she would miss, if she left now. At the last thing, he paused. The last thing was his feelings towards her. He decided that it was better to say it now, while she was alive, even if she couldn't hear him. He softly whispered.  
  
" I love you".  
  
He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard  
  
" Aww, how sweet, I always knew you were a softie!"  
  
Uo was sitting up on the bed, he hair messy and her eyes crinkled in mirth while she watched Kyo who hadn't moved for the last thirty seconds.' How could I not notice? How long has she been awake! ?'  
  
"You can move now" she stated. Kyo was starting to turn the colour of someone who's sitting in a bathtub filled with extremely hot water, the sweat starting to pour down his temples.  
  
He then did move and saw that they were alone in the room. When had the doctors and nurses left? How long had he been talking? Why hadn't those idiots told him she was okay?  
  
" How much did you hear?" " All of it." She said, her smile fading " Although I heard the beginning through my dream, just before waking." She added.  
  
" Yeah, well, I didn't mean everything, I got carried away." He said, trying to sound gruff.  
  
She had caught him off guard, but he had to make up for it now. He had told her things he would never have dared tell Tohru, but then again, the circumstances were different at this time and with this person.  
  
" I bet I can figure out what part you did mean though." She said.  
  
He didn't answer. He realized that he had been able to tell her so much because there hadn't been the risk of her criticizing anything, but he hadn't expected her to wake up, or actually hear what he told her.  
  
" And I think that you did mean that last part. Am I right?" she continued " It's okay, you don't have to answer. I can tell by the way you're blushing that you meant it."  
  
She looked at the wall. She had woken up during his description of the outside world, and had briefly seen the places he depicted in her minds eye. What had happened was this: her heartbeat had stopped, and the doctors had used the electric shock machine to revive her. That was what had ripped her out of her coma. Once the doctors had checked that her pulse was normal again, they had told Kyo that she was awake and that he could look at her, but he was so deep in conversation with her ( whom he still supposed to be on the brink of death) that he hadn't heard. The doctor was about to touch his shoulder when Uo had stopped him and told him to leave, because she wanted privacy with him.  
  
So she had listened to what Kyo had said for about a quarter of an hour, and been amazed by the passionate tone of his voice when he asked her to stay alive. She was seeing a different side of him. She wondered if he really had held her and kissed her, or if she had only dreamt it (even though she couldn't wake up, she had been aware of his presence during the last three weeks and suffered when he hadn't come back after the last time he had kissed her.) She wouldn't ask though, because she was certain that he would just laugh. And yet, he had said he loved her.  
  
They both sat in silence for a while, not knowing what to make of the other's presence. Uo noticed the framed photo of Kyoko and suddenly said, more to herself than to Kyo  
  
" She came to me while I was dreaming."  
  
Kyo looked at her. Was it a coincidence, or had his prayer for help earlier been answered? He couldn't stand this. Now that Uo was awake, he couldn't act like he had before. He decided to go and then told her so.  
  
" Tell Tohru and Hana that I'm awake, I'm sure they'd be furious if you forgot." She said grinning.  
  
He just grunted and exited the room. 'Fate is a bittersweet thing' he thought ' but then again, so is Arisa'.  
  
The End -  
  
I really hope you enjoyed this last chapter! I left the ending open, so if you request one, I will write a short epilogue, but I like the way this ends. Uo doesn't say she love Kyo, but you can tell by the way she acts that she does. I would love it if everyone who reads this reviews, even if you've reviewed in previous chapters, so that I can decide whether to do the epilogue or not. Thanks for reading this. Yours sincerely - Mouton 


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